Mannheim separates from the university hospital: 200 million euros in savings!

Mannheim separates from the university hospital: 200 million euros in savings!

Significant changes are taking place in the healthcare system in Mannheim. On Tuesday evening, the local council decided to hand over the majority of the shares in the Mannheim University Hospital to the Heidelberg University Hospital. This means that more than 89 percent of the shares will pass into the hands of Heidelberg, while the city of Mannheim will continue to retain 10.1 percent in order to secure access to funding and the right to have a say. This step was decided with only one abstention and is intended to relieve the city's finances in the long term, even if 200 million euros have to be saved from the budget in the next three years, as SWR reports.

Mayor Christian Specht (CDU) informed that the savings were distributed over the years 2026, 2027 and 2028, with 56 million euros, 75 million euros and 64 million euros respectively. The city must now usher in a new, tougher round of austerity, which will have a noticeable impact on urban society. In front of the local council chamber, initiatives protested against the intended cuts that could affect schools, daycare centers and social organizations.

A new clinic network in the region

The formation of the clinic network between Heidelberg and Mannheim was described by Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann as an important step for Baden-Württemberg and the Rhine-Neckar region. The aim of the network is to strengthen university medicine in the state and improve medical care in Mannheim. With a total of 1,800 medical study places, the connection between the university hospitals is to be intensified. A six-person association board, headed by a CEO, will in future manage medical-strategic matters, as Heidelberg Klinikum explains in detail.

Science Minister Petra Olschowski emphasizes that this joint solution will not only promote the quality of healthcare, but also research. The new governance model enables the clinics to be closely networked without changing their legal forms and aims to reduce duplicate structures in technology, IT and administration.

Financial support and future plans

An extensive financing package is being put together for the clinic network: the state of Baden-Württemberg wants to take over a significant portion of the Mannheim University Hospital's deficits in order to prevent insolvency. The total costs for this amount to around 480 million euros. This also includes support of up to 300 million euros for the city of Mannheim, which has provided around 250 million euros for the university hospital over the past ten years, explains kma-online.

By merging the medical faculties of the two university hospitals by January 1, 2027 at the latest and developing a common structural and development plan, medical care in the Rhine-Neckar region is intended to be raised to a new level. The planning is scheduled to be completed by 2026 and will also include the construction of the “Neue Mitte”, which is intended to ensure modern medical care.